When I Come Back
by DreamingBeyond
Summary: I didn't want to leave him, but I could do nothing. I mean, really. I was seven. I came back though, as promised, but I never expected him to have changed too. Nick Walker, the sweetest, cutest boy ever, was now Fang, the cold, emotionless rock. Could I fix that? Of course I could. I could even fall in love with him. ALL HUMAN! R&R!
1. Well Hello There, Ugly

**Summary: I didn't want to leave him, but I could do nothing. I mean, really. I was seven. I came back though, as promised, but I never expected him to have changed too. Nick Walker, the sweetest, cutest boy ever, was now Fang, the cold, emotionless rock. Could I fix that? Of course I could. I could even fall in love with him.**

**ALL HUMAN! R&R!**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**_

* * *

~∞ **When I Come Back **∞~

**By DreamingBeyond**

**_~Chapter One~_**

* * *

I bit my lip as Nick ran out of the forest with a pile of mud. It wasn't the black mud he carried in his chubby hand that worried me; it was his reaction when I finished telling him I was leaving today, on his and Iggy's 8th birthday.

"Maxie!" he yelled, beckoning me over to him with his shiny onyx eyes. I forced a smile as we edged closer toward each other. "Look what I have here!"

I looked closely and saw a long, thick worm inside his pile of nasty poopy stuff. On a normal basis, I would touch it, and we would observe it like there were no tomorrow. But obviously it _isn't _a normal basis. This time, there really_was _no tomorrow. I kept a safe distance.

He looked at me oddly, noticing my cautiousness. "You don't want it?"

I shook my head. _You have less than five minutes, _I reminded myself unwillingly.

"Nick, I'm leaving," I murmured. I bit the inside of my cheek, watching him closely.

He stared at me for a moment, and then shrugged, ready to drop the dirt. I opened my mouth again. "I'm leaving to Florida," I finished, looking down. I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks.

He was frozen though, still staring at me, wondering if I were joking or not.

"That's _not _funny," he decided, dropping the mud.

"That's because it isn't supposed to be," I insisted, rubbing my eyes. I shouldn't cry.

He shook his head. "Stop lying. It's not funny."

"I'm not _lying_, Nick! I'm leaving right now. And I'll miss you," I added quickly, wiping my face with my arm.

"_Stop_," he pleaded. "Stop saying that! Let's go home, I don't want to play in the forest anymore, Maxie. Come on!" he said, his voice rising higher as he tugged my wrist. But I stayed put.

"But I really have to go. That's what Mommy said," I wiped my face again. I should leave. Get it over with.

So I ran away.

He ran after me. He tackled me, so we were both sprawled on the forest floor. We stayed there in silence for a moment.

"When are you coming back?" he asked finally, his bottom lip quivering. I took a deep breath, sitting up and brushing some leaves off my muddy shorts. "I don't know . . . but I have to get ready," I finished, my voice cracking.

He was full blown crying now. "How long did you know?" he asked through tears.

"Two weeks," I answered in defeat. "Does everyone else know?" he asked, just as broken as I felt. I looked at him in the eye. And I knew that I couldn't lie about this. "Y-yes," I choked out. He forced himself to stop crying. He stood up quickly.

"Where are you going?" I asked desperately.

He didn't turn around. He didn't look at me. He just kept going.

"Away from _you_!" he yelled back. He began to run.

"Nick, I'm sorry!" I cried out to him.

But I had to go. I had to finish everything before I left.

So I did the last thing I wanted to do. I got up and ran back to my house.

"Honey," Mom began quietly as I walked through the worn out dull blue door. I was angry at her of course for making me leave my friends and my home here in Arizona, but I was horribly, _horribly _broken.

"_Mommy_," I whispered, running into her open arms. She pulled me close to her, cradling my skinny little figure in her arms.

"It's all okay, Maxie, we might come back, honey," she said comfortingly, kissing my forehead. I shook my head. "How about we come back tomorrow?" I suggested weakly. I couldn't even smile.

"No, baby," she sighed, kissing me again. It only made me cry more. "You're so brave, though, baby. You can handle anything. Huh, Maxie? You're only seven and you can handle your problems like a big girl," she said, squishing me in her arms.

I squirmed. I wasn't acting like a big girl. I was crying like a baby and I told Nick about my moving so late, because I was so scared of what would happen.

"Oh my goodness, Mommy, I forgot!" I gasped, jumping out of her arms and running to the kitchen table.

Resting on the table was a nice neon green box shaped like a binder. I opened it carefully and saw the necklace with a fang on it. Nick's mom, Anne, never let him collect items like this. I kissed the fang and put it back in the felt of the box. I taped a few pictures of us in it. The one where we were hugging at age four; the one where we played with Nick's now three year old sister, Angel; the one where Iggy, Nick and I were dancing in a circle; the one where Iggy and Nick's new adopted sister Nudge, Iggy and Nick all watched me flip like crazy; the one where the six of us—Angel, Angel's twin Gazzy, Iggy, Nick, Nudge and I all swam in the 2 ft. tall pool. And then came all the pictures with one of each of them; Iggy and I, Nudge and I, Gazzy and I, Angel and I, Nick and I.

Tears streaming down my face, I ran to my room quietly. My mom just stood at the doorway of the house, waiting. _Why did she want to leave?_

I got the small bomb I always hid in the hole of my closet, running back to the kitchen to put it into the felt binder-like box.

Mom walked me to their house, where it was silent. I placed the box on the doorstep, and after ringing the bell three times, I dashed toward my house, tugging Mom with me.

Mom sighed but obeyed quietly. I bit my lip again once we reached our car. "In you go, baby," she whispered, helping me in. "Daddy's waiting at the airport in Florida."

I smiled. She always said 'Daddy' instead of 'Jeb' so it would rub off on me. Which was nowhere near _close _to what I'm calling him—Ugly. The thing was, he was nothing close to ugly. He could be an Abercrombie model in his 30's.

But even thinking about my dad didn't make me feel better. It just made me feel worst. _I get Ugly back, but I leave my best friends._

I cried. I sobbed. I yelled.

"Mommy I don't want to leave!" I repeated.

I wailed. I even kicked her chair. But it just wasn't working.

"No, baby, we have to go. We can get a bigger house, and you can make new friends. I know it's hard, baby, but we have to go," she said again quietly.

"But they're my best friends! This is my _home_!" I whined, hugging my knees to my chest. I knew arguing wouldn't win me anything but a frustrated mother who lectures me till 2020.

Honestly, I looked forward to third grade, I looked forward to meeting new people, I looked forward to playing sports and P.E., but I looked forward to doing that all _here_.

My eyes scanned the outside of the tinted window, seeing the blurry buildings and the green trees. _Bye_, I thought quietly.

Nine years later, I did come back to him.

But honest to God, I wasn't the same . . . and neither was he.

**Author's Note:**

**_This story is for Noah, one of my best friends, who has a really dramatic love life that I'm craved to watch. O.O_**

**_Well, anyone want to review? Please do! Do you like it, hate it, want to poop on it, or want to keep reading it? Instructive criticism is welcomed . . . SURSLEH! :D And remember:_**

**_Flames are for marshmallows. Does ANYONE read it like this: 'Marsh – Mahl – Ohs' ? I can't seriously be the only one . . . ):_**

**_Just so you know, for my other story, and this too, I spell 'hot' like this: 'hott' . I just like it better._**

**_So review. I swear to you, virtual desserts for all! Please? ):_**

**_And a thousand thank you's for all those who followed, favorite-d, reviewed my other story, 'Trusting,' which was co-written by Zaria, ArieZINGhearts. So if you haven't already, please read it! It's dramatic, with all the deaths and all. And it's sad. And happy. It makes sense, I'm serious. If you read it. Heheheh. :3_**

**_Anyway, keep dreaming beyond, lovelies. (:_**

**-Veronica Marie**


	2. Oh, Food, How You Calm Thee

**Summary: I didn't want to leave him, but I could do nothing. I mean, really. I was seven. I came back though, as promised, but I never expected him to have changed too. Nick Walker, the sweetest, cutest boy ever, was now Fang, the cold, emotionless rock. Could I fix that? Of course I could. I could even fall in love with him.**

**ALL HUMAN. R&R (:**

**_Warning: Although I don't curse, this contains cursing. (Way to be blunt, huh?)_**

* * *

~∞ **When I Come Back **∞~

**By DreamingBeyond**

**_~Chapter Two~_**

* * *

"So when I—no, _we—_try so hard to forget about Val, we have to _move _to her old _house_?" Ari, my eighteen-year-old brother, yelled in disbelief as we walked one last time out of the house. He wasn't mad that we were moving. It was the fact that we were moving back to Mom's old house all the way in Arizona, when she di—made it up there.

Dad glared at Ari but stayed silent, continuing his job of carrying boxes to his car.

I stayed quiet. I could see my seven-year-old sister Ella crying beside me. Even though Mom and I weren't always here, when we did arrive, Dad and Ari got overly attached with us, as did us with them.

Wait, hold up and let me _explain _all this chiz.

My dad, Jeb, had met my mom, Valencia, when he was on a business trip. He decided to stay with her for three years, and thus came the life of Ari and Maximum Bachelder. But soon he had to back to Florida, and Mom obviously didn't want to leave her home, so she stayed. Ari had to leave with Jeb, and I stayed with Mom, because she 'couldn't handle two adorable babies' while working her butt off for animals. Seven years of being apart was obviously hard for them. When Dad got a raise, Mom just couldn't deny that living with Dad would be much easier, and she could continue her career, too. After two years of settling in, though, Ella came into this world. In the end, nine year of Florida was enough for Mom, and now she rests in peace!

But really, I wasn't taking this easily, like I tried to make it look like. I was numb. I was scared. I was . . . _alone_. Growing up was easy with my mom, when it was just the two of us. She helped me my entire life, always putting me before herself. There was always something she did for me, and being a child, I didn't really know what to do to pay her back. But she always told me, "You pay me back by loving you're Mom; _te quiero_,_ Niña_." When Dad finally had her back in his life, Mom stopped caring all together. She was in paradise, with her extremely rich husband, her extremely large house, her huge career as the most known and went-to vet. But we all loved her. Even if she didn't take time to care for us, she was so upbeat and happy with her life, it would make you feel happy. I single tear ran down my cheek.

By now, Ari had stopped fighting back, looking torn.

"Hey," I said quietly, "It's all good. We get to go back to Mom's place. Mom would be proud of us, keeping our promise of visiting her house one more time. But this time, we're even staying there," I say, my voice cracking. Ari was fighting off the water works, and nodded solemnly. Ella moved closer to me, sobbing on my right arm.

"Get moving!" Jeb called, starting the engine of his spotless black 2012 Yaris and backing out of the driveway of our two-story house.

Why is Daddy Dearest going into a car and leaving without us? Well, we're _driving_ there. And we have two cars. The simple answer: Either me or Ari drive one, with Jeb driving the other.

"Can you drive? I'm not in the mood." Ari explained. I shrugged, taking his keys.

We walked slowly to the red 2012 Cadillac SRX. I opened the back, checking to see that all 6 of our suitcases and all 10 of our boxes were safely inside the backseat.

"You have everything?" I asked them as I climbed inside. They nodded, and I frowned. It was 3p.m. on a Friday, so we'd arrive there at around 3a.m. on a Sunday, Arizona time. Why Dad wanted to go by car and arrive there at 3 in the morning was beyond my knowledge.

"You should take a nap, Ells," I suggested, looking at her from the rearview mirror. The announcement of the move had been so abrupt, and we all spent the entire night packing. She nodded, smiling at me before getting comfy in the backseat.

"Max?" she spoke up.

"Ella?"

"I really gotta pee," she said. I bit my lip, looking at her again.

This was going to be a long ride.

* * *

"What do you mean by '_We aren't moving into Mom's house_'?" Ari yelled for the billionth time. I could see Ari using every bit of self-control he had left to prevent him from strangling Dad in front of Ella.

We all pulled over on the curb of Mom's house, and Dad said to keep going, since we aren't moving into Mom's house. I studied the house once more. It looked forsaken, abandoned, and . . . dead. The walls had vines growing on them, the porch steps looked like they could break if a fly landed on it, the grass was all dead, and the driveway was covered in dirt and dust. I wondered if anyone stepped inside for the past nine years.

"There's not enough room. Are you stupid?" Dad answered.

"Not eno—what are you talking about, Daddy? If you guys could fit four before, can you do it now? We can fix it! Mommy would be_ so_ happy." Ella's voice faltered as she bit her lip seeing Dad's 'you-shut-the-fudge-up-or-I-will-personally-punch- the-fudge-out-of-your-soul' look. I'm against cursing, you see?

I sighed, stepping in front of Ella just in case. "Dad, you said we were moving back to Mom's. Ella and Ari are just confused, alright? We didn't realize you meant, um, the city, not the house."

"Just get the fuck in the car. If you don't follow in time, I'm not looking for you," he stated seriously.

He glared once last time at Ari before getting back into his car and slamming the door on us, driving off.

We all scrambled back into our own vehicle, with Ari driving.

"I hate Jeb," Ari said, shaking his head in disgust.

"He's having a hard time. He fell in love with a woman he barely got to see, and when she finally gets back to him, they don't get their fairy tale ending. I mean, raising two teens and a seven year old while working as a scientist 24/7 isn't the easiest, you know," I said quietly.

"Don't defend him, Max. He doesn't deserve it. Just because he's upset doesn't mean he can treat us like shit. Look at you. At least you can keep control while Jeb gives us all this fucking _crap_."

My eyes flickered to the rearview mirror again, and I sighed in relief when I realized Ella had easily fallen asleep. I looked back at Ari and frowned. _I'm hurting the most, though._

"He finally broke, Arr. We all are breaking, but he took Mom's death the hardest. I mean, losing the person you're in love with must hurt a lot, you know? And he's only 38," I said, trailing off uncertainly. How bad did it hurt, really, to lose the one you fell in love with?

* * *

After about forty-five minutes of Ari's reckless driving, we finally arrived at _La Cámara de Bachelder_.

"Get yourself unpacking," Jeb ordered, walking into the house without carrying anything himself.

Ella, Ari and I went to the back and took out all the suitcases and boxes.

"I'm hungry, and I think I have to pee . . . again," Ella said sheepishly. Ari rolled his eyes.

"It _is _7a.m. in Florida time, Ari," I pointed out.

"Yeah, whatever, I'm hungry too. Remember any food places around?" he asked.

"Yup, of course I remember the way around Arizona, even though I haven't been here for nine years, and the last time I was here, I was seven, and I lived on the other side of the city," I joked.

"Good, now _go_," Ari commanded, ignoring my playful tone.

I put my hands up. "Bye jerkface, by Ells, be safe, loves!"

I called to them with a wink, narrowly missing running over one of the boxes. "Whoops," my tired voice muttered. If Ari's XBOX was in there, I'd be dead.

But a question pestered me my entire journey of lost-ness, looking for a McDonald's.

_Were they still here?_

**Author's Note:**

**_Okay, first of all, thank you guys! -3 :D 21 follows in one chapter? I wasn't expecting that... thanks so much! Luurve ya!_**

**_'Te quiero, Niña' = I love you, (female) child._**

**_'La Cámara de Bachelder_****' = ****_The House of Bachelder_**

**_So anyway! Review down there because, you know you want to. I'm open to criticsm. And for those of you who reviewed last chapter, you also get virtual desserts from yours truly haha. :D_**

**-Veronica Marie**


	3. Akwardo, Uggs, and the Sexy Chubs

**Summary: I didn't want to leave him, but I could really do nothing. I came back, as promised, but I'm different now. I didn't expect though for him to be a different person too. Nick Walker was now Fang, the cold emotionless rock. Could I fix that? Of course I could. I could even fall in love with him.**

**ALL HUMAN. R&R (:**

**Author's Note:****_ It's an update! Yeaaah! *awkward fist pump*_**

**_Okay then . . . Carry on._**

* * *

~∞ **When I Come Back ∞~**

**By DreamingBeyond**

**_~Chapter Three~_**

* * *

If there is anything I hate the most, it's awkward moments. No, not the annoying wannabe saying, _Omg, don't you just like, hate that awkward moment when . . . _type of awkward. Sorry to those who think that's rude, but that was everywhere in my old high school.

But I meant the awkward moment that just screamed: _you are so flippin' awkward right now._

That's the poop I was in right now.

So after about half an hour searching for McDonald's and coming empty handed, I realized that the streets seemed somewhat familiar.

So I went along and finally realized _why_ it was so familiar. I was near Nick's house. Nick! I was practically happy dancing in the front seat. If you don't do that, then you should. It's good for your soul.

And so I finally found my way to Nick's place (in the dark, might I add. I'm _pretty _awesome) and decided it was okay for me to get out of my car and run to their—or what I _assumed_ their—front door and started banging (I lunged at the door. I was practically hugging it. But that doesn't matter now, does it?) on the door with overwhelming excitement.

You know, _totally _forgetting it was almost 5a.m.

Finally the porch light turned on, and I held my breath anxiously.

"Who the _fuck_ bangs on the door at nearly f—oh, _hello_ there; what's a hott babe doing here so early?" the door-opener said, winking at me.

I studied door-opener closely, and nearly fainted. This guy was . . . _sexy._ He obviously just got out of bed, because his dirty blond hair was messy in the porch light, and his dazzling turquois eyes were barely open. But still. He was gorgeous.

"I know I'm an _incredibly_ hott person, babe, but care to answer? Actually no, I don't need an answer. Come in, I don't mi—"

"Is Nick here?" I asked, cutting him off. He was hott, yes, but overly cocky.

"Nick? Sorry, babe, no Nick here. It's Dylan," he said.

My hope deflated. _But what did you expect, Max? You've been gone for nearly a decade. Did you expect an eight year old boy to wait for you this long? _I asked myself.

"Hey don't be down. I haven't seen you around before. I would have known, because no one can miss someone like you," he smiled, winking again. I smiled back, awkwardly rubbing the side of my arm as I settled into the awkwardo silence. I wonder if _I _know how to wink. I shuddered at the image of me lifting one foot, pointing m thumb in the air as I twitch my eye like there were a branch in it.

"Uh, want to come in? I'm sure you'd lo—"

"No, _no_! No. That's really not necessary. I don't need to – I mean, I can't, it's late, and all that good stuff, so no. Heheh, well bye." I gave an awkward wave and scrambled back into Ari's car.

I slammed the car door and could see Dylan give me a suspicious look. He realized I was looking at him, and he winked, closing the door and turning off the light. I took a deep breath. _Fail Max, _fail_._

* * *

"So it took you an hour and a half to get McDonald's? Wait up, it isn't even McDonald's! Is that _Burger King_? You _betrayer_," Ari muttered darkly.

"Arr, cool it, please? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take so long, but I got lost. A _lot_," I said seriously. He looked at me with an incredulous expression and I sighed loudly in exasperation. "I'm sorry, but Arr, I'll get you the breakfast platter _and_ an Egg McMuffin with a hash brown next time. So forgive me?" I asked, pouting.

He gave me a slight frown as he took the gigantic bag of Burger King food.

"Just playing with you," he said. "Let's take a tour now of _La Cámara de Bachelder_. But don't be loud. Ella's sleeping right now."

He tugged lightly on my hand with his free one and I gaped once I saw his house, realizing just how gigantic this house really was.

It was only two floors, but it was huge. The white marble tiles formed a diamond pattern, and the main room we stood in lead to three large rooms on the right and three on the left. The wide staircase, also with white marble tiles, was centered, making one gigantic spiral upwards. The three rooms on the left was a large kitchen, closest to me, a dark blue colored room filled with dozens of instruments, and in between the two rooms, a gigantic dining room.

Ari laughed at my expression and tilted my head the right.

The floor was higher than the rest of the first floor, having three wooden steps leading to the platform to all three rooms. The first room had brown double doors and was shut; the one beside it was a huge room with what I assumed to be an 85" television, and third room on the right side, closest to the stairs, had a nice living room with books after books.

I side stepped a little, and saw curtains partly covering the glass double doors to the backyard.

"Oh cheese, Ari, if there's back there, I might take a dump on the floor!"

He sighed jokingly, putting a hand on top of my mouth. "There's a pool, and a little waterfall with it, and a fairly sized Jacuzzi. And a garden," he added. Hearing that, I frowned a little.

"Mom would have loved the garden," I stated, looking up at Ari. He shook his head with a slight smile. I watched carefully, noticing how he frowned to himself, a hint of guilt flashing in his eyes.

"Anyway, where's Jebediah?"

His face darkened, and I rolled my eyes, even though I was upset myself.

"It's _Jedidiah_. Get it right, Maxie pad."

"Arr, you've _got_ to stop being so bipolar," I sighed, walking to the li—the _heavenly_ living room. "Oh my dear aunt Sally Beth," I sighed in contentment, seeing the white leather couch recline when I pulled the black handle on the side.

Ari came beside me and rolled his eyes like I did just a few moments ago. "We don't have an aunt named Sally Beth."

I shoved him a little, and he shoved me back harder. I flew face first, onto the couch, and his annoying laughter filled the air.

"Eeevil," I drawled out in a hiss, holding my face with my hand. Can you hold your face? Well, I'm doing that right now. _Suck it._ "And don't change the subject and answer the question."

"I dunno, Max. Maybe he's in Ecuador." He said with a shrug.

* * *

At exactly 7:43 A.M. on our first ever Monday in this house, Ari declared that Jeb was an extremely lame, ditching arse. _And _it was our first day of school, without us exactly knowing where the school was. _Joy. _Today was going on a rocky start, really. I really did ponder on whether or not the universe hated me.

Unluckily, Ella had already forced me to wear her outfit of choice and helped make my appearance looked absolutely, in her words, _fantabulous. Note to self: learn to resist the Bambi eyes._

Luckily, we managed to find both schools nearby, _and_ we weren't late.

"Arr, you drive like a maniac. We had a seven-year-old the car," I huffed, elbowing his side as we followed the direction where the sign pointed to the office.

"Ow," he whined. "Well, maybe Ella's _used _to my driving. At least none of us were late, you ungrateful poop. Look at me, driving you everywhere, and this is how you thank me. To think I gained a little respect for my amazing driving ability."

I rolled my eyes. Must I explain how reckless he is? "You ran four red lights and started laughing. You almost ran over someone, but you swerved, making sure to honk and flip them off, and then crashed into a mailbox. But then you just backed away from the broken mailbox and kept on going."

"Maybe I'm color blind, okay? It's obviously not my fault the mailbox and that fatty of a woman got in th—"

"Ah, you two are the new students! Maximum and Arian Martinez Ride?" the receptionist asked. I looked up, startled. How the heck did we get here so fast? She looked at the names again. She was giving the paper a 'That-is-one-hell-of-an-ugly-name' type of look. Well _excuse _me.

I bit my lip at the name. Even though it was mine, it still sounded hella weird coming out of her mouth.

I sighed, ignoring Ari's bewildered look. "Yes, but it's, um, Maximum and Ari Ride."

"Ah, alright then," she said uncertainly, as if it didn't make the name sound anymore cooler. Eh, I tried, didn't I? "Here's your schedules, this is a school map, and here are some instruction's that your teachers give to each student. If you need any help, sweeties, just come back here. Have a good day!" the receptionist said, forcing a smile at us.

"Did you know that I disliked school, Max? Well, I do," Ari muttered as we walking out of the office, pulling me along with me.

"Sometimes I wonder why we have to learn things we don't want to learn. Like, 'Oh! That rock, I swear, if I hadn't seen it or learned about it before, I would never have lived on, knowing I didn't know what a metamorphic rock was!_Ugh_. It's not good to be in schools, honestly. No one likes it, you forget it in a few years, and I—holy _fuck_, hott girls!" Ari exclaimed. He looked at me and said seriously, "Do _not _get into fights, and make some damn friends. Hott ones. I like hott ones." I looked at him in mock shock (heh, it rhymes), giving him a playful glare. He winked at me and said, "Don't wish me luck. I don't need any. Have a good day!" He messed up his hair a little and walked toward them, leaving me behind.

I shook my head, laughing a little as I began to walk by myself.

"_Ugh, I hate you, you no good fucking loser! Why do you even fucking walk these schools or _breath_?"_ someone screeched. I looked up and say a stunning redhead glaring down at a small little girl, with a crowd slowly gathering around them. And you know what sucked the most? They were doing absolutely _nothing_.

The small Asian girl was absolutely terrified, her really big brown eyes never leaving the redhead's face as she collected things on the floor. The redhead looked livid, as if murdering the tiny girl and ripping off every strand of her raven hair wouldn't do enough justice, and the three other girls behind her looked down at the small girl with disgust. I saw the redhead's white heels and her bare, boney legs splattered in paint.

Cautiously, I walked over to them, and watched the redhead continue on with her rant for about three minutes.

"Excuse me?" I asked in slight annoyance.

All eyes snapped to my direction, and I noticed the main five scanned me up and down. As I was about to yell at her for being an arse, I frowned. Don't want to be hated on the first day, right? Wrong. I'd love to be! But that _would_dissapoint Arr.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but if you want, you can use my Uggs. We should probably go to the bathroom and clean up your heels, or the paint might dry," I said, hoping to distract her from hurting the girl. Some people from the crown gaped at me, and I rubbed my arm on habit.

The redhead thought for a moment, and then smiled at me warmly. I looked back at the small girl and saw her mouth 'thank you'.

"Oh my God, sure, let's go. I'm Elisa Reiner by the way, but I go by Lissa. You must be the new student. I like, love meeting new people who are cool," she said, putting a hand on her hip as she stepped over her victim's legs and strutted toward me. As she came toward me, I thought for a moment.

"Yeah. I'm Maximum Ride." I answered automatically as I began walking in sync with her and her minions.

"Awesome name, and thanks for the help, these shoes are like, super expensive," she sighed. I nodded as if I understood.

"Totes expensive," someone agreed behind Lissa.

"Oh, and these are my friends," Lissa started. I noticed the way she said 'friends' in a sort of distasteful way.

"Mmhm, I'm Te—"

"That's Tessa Jones. She's a junior, and is like, really smart," Lissa said, nodding to the blonde girl. She had dark blue eyes, and her strawberry blonde hair went passed her pale, heart shaped face to her shoulders. She wore 3 inch heels, so she was probably 5'2" without them. Tessa frowned a little at Lissa but kept her mouth shut.

"That's Maya Delgado, she just got back from Spain, and she's a senior, like me. She's like, my partner in crime." Lissa said, pointing at a girl with straight, dirty blonde hair that reached a little past her shoulders with lightly tanned skin and a tall, skinny figure. She seemed to be around 5'6", near my height. Maya's scrutinized me from head to toe with her dark brown eyes, and she smiled slightly at me. I noticed the two other girls looked slightly hurt by this yet still kept their mouths shut.

"And that's Jennifer Joy, but we call her Jenny. She's a sophomore. She's like, obsessed with nail polish," Lissa said, rolling her eyes. My eyes immediately went over to Jenny. Jenny was indeed pretty like the rest of them though, and her nails were bright neon colors. She was about 5'4", but 5'7" with her heels on, and her dirty blonde hair, much similar to Maya's yet a lot longer, was pulled in a high pony tail. Her green eyes were bright and welcoming.

All four of them wore makeup matching their eye colors, short skirts, low shirts, (boom. I'm a rhyming pro, I tell you) and looked like cover girl models.

Once Lissa got the Uggs on, I was already finished putting on my extremely old, red pair of Converse. Yes, I bring extra shoes. Did you expect me to go around in Uggs boots the rest of the day? _Gurl, _I don't _think_ so. You can just see me snapping my fingers in a z-formation.

"Oh my God, Maximum, that was really nice of you to do. Have you ever gotten a manicure? I did just yesterday—I got neon colors, I'm practically addicted to them now," Jenny admitted sheepishly with a small laugh, showing me here extremely bright, half neon pink and half neon green nails. I smiled at her, nodding.

"I know what you mean. I love highlights. Not because I hate my hair, but it makes me look badass," I said seriously. She laughed lightly as the five of us exited the bathroom.

"One time I put nail polish on my hair and—"

"Aha, Jenny, don't bother her with your silly nail polish stories," Lissa said in a casual tone, trying not to sound too forceful. Jenny immediately shut up, suddenly finding the waxed floor interesting. I eyed the both of them carefully. Lissa wasn't a very good friend, and she thought she ran this school. I stopped walking for a moment, mentally slapping myself. _Woah, Max, great observation! _I thought to myself sarcastically.

"So, Maximum, where're you from? Your tan is like, to _die _for."

"Yeah, seriously," Maya agreed, readjusting her skirt.

"Well, I lived in Florida for almost ten years before coming here," I said.

"Really? I've been there when I was like, twelve or something. That's really cool." Lissa cheerily announced. She flipped some of her fiery red hair out of her face as she shot me a smile, exposing her extremely white teeth.

"Totes cool," Tessah added with a solemn nod.

"So like, you—Oh my God, hey _Fang_," Lissa purred.

I looked up and my jaw nearly reached China. The only thing my brain could think of was, _chubby boy is chubby boy no more_.

**_Fang_**

When you see your girlfriend hanging out with an extremely hott girl, what do you do? You go over there. And then you sexify yourself.

"Totes cool," Tessah said, looking at the new (_hott_) girl intently. The new girl rolled her eyes when they looked away. Looks like someone doesn't appreciate the populars.

"So like, you—Oh my God, hey _Fang_," Lissa purred, her emerald eyes seeping into my soul. Yeah, I just said seeping into my soul. It's _that_ creepy.

I nodded in acknowledgement and wrapped my arms around her, all while looking at the new girl.

She wore a black V-neck with her faded skinny jeans and red Converse high-tops. She was so damn skinny but so damn lean. She was skean. Is that a word? Well. It is now. I made sure to add it on my Microsoft dicti—never mind.

She had loose golden curls that reached her shoulder, and a long, swan-like neck. She had big brown eyes and a button nose, and her soft pink lips were set in a frown. I continued looking at her eyes. Something was so damn familiar about them.

"_Fang_," Lissa said, snapping us both out of the trance.

"This is my like, new best friend. She just got back from Florida," she explained. I nodded, looking at the blonde girl once again. I frowned. If she was from Florida, then . . .

She smiled brightly at me, putting out her hand as she said without hesitation, "Maximum Ride. Nice to see you again, Chubs."

**Author's Note:**

**_Hey, world. How've you been? Did you miss me? I'm so sorry about not updating! I'd been in the hospital for a week and a half. Note to self: Don't drink call-back chocolate milk powder. It's deadly._**

**_Anyway, did you like it? Hate it? Love it? I know it's long, but I'm in a fuzz stage. I wrote this all on Thanksgiving, when I got back from the hospital, and today I just realized how long this is. If there's any mistake-chiz, feel free to internet-yell at me! Just kidding._**

**_But REVIEW about your thoughts, funny stuff, and instructive criticism and anything at all. Just review, yes? Yes! *Another awkward fist pump*_**

**_Keep dreaming beyond, lovelies. xD_**

**-Veronica Marie**


	4. I Just Wanted To Learn History

**Summary: I didn't want to leave him, but I could do nothing. I mean, really. I was seven. I came back though, as promised, but I never expected him to have changed too. Nick Walker, the sweetest, cutest boy ever, was now Fang, the cold, emotionless rock. Could I fix that? Of course I could. I could even fall in love with him.**

**ALL HUMAN! R&R!**

_**Author's Note: Hey shmexies! Advance apology for grammar/spelling mistakes: It's four A.M. and my pro-ness at 'crastination' prevents me from re-reading all of this.**_

* * *

~∞ **When I Come Back ∞~**

**By DreamingBeyond**

**_~Chapter Four ~_**

* * *

_**Max**_

"Fang, I think the girls and I need to have a little talk. See you later, babe?"

Fang eyed her warily, and then gave me a small, amused smile before walking away, flanked by two other hot jocks.

"So you were like, childhood besties with Fang? That's so cute," Maya exclaimed, her thumbs rapidly typing on her iPhone 5 as she stared at me with wide eyes.

"It totally is, Max. Do you have a boyfriend?" Lissa asked, clinging onto my arm.

"Why?" I asked cautiously. No need to tell her I've never had one, right?

"We totally should have a double date! I mean my new best friend, my boyfriend, and hers. It's perfect, right?" Lissa said enthusiastically. She raised an eyebrow at me as if it were a challenge.

"I don't," I said flatly.

"Aw, that's too bad. I guess I'm the only one in this group who could get a guy and actually keep him. Talk about hormones," Lissa said pointedly at Maya, strutting away. The clusters of high-school students parted like the Red Sea for Moses as she continued on marching to her first period. Maya, looking around in anger and embarrassment, ran after her.

"Of course she'd know everything about whore-mones," Jenny scoffed. Tessa cracked a small smile.

"You don't like her?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jenny sighed. "Do you see how she treats us?"

"Then why do you hang out with her?" I asked curiously.

The two girls glanced at each other before looking at me.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?" Tessa grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to be sandwiched in between the two fake-fake Barbies. (As in, they aren't fake Barbies. I should've just said that first. Okay, stop talking to yourself, Max.)

"Alright," I nodded.

"Where do I begin?" Jenny asked herself. "One, call me J.J."

"J.J. Got it," I nodded my head again.

"Anyway, there used to be three of us. We were tied to the hip, thigh, and every other body part. That is, until the third in our trio began making out with Dylan, famous hot boy of like, the millennium, at the biggest party of the year," J.J. explained, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Then Fang comes in. Everyone knew him as a loner by choice. He was cool, hot, sexy, and mysterious," Tessa continued. "Well, he and Dylan always were sort of rivals. Anyway, once Lissa caught Dylan making out with someone else, she screamed that it was over, sappy break up, and then boom! Fang and Lissa became a thing."

The two rolled their eyes in unison.

"Huh. I didn't know Fang was like that," I mused. I'm pretty sure that the Dylan they're talking about was the Dylan I had previously met, in all his perverted glory.

"Anyway, this has to do with the two of you… how?"

"The third one of us, she was always a reserved, peaceful girl, you know? Once she messed with the populars, everything had changed," Tessa began quietly, looking around the less crowded hallway. There were a bunch of people staring at us though, not being discreet at all.

"Lissa deemed her school loser. Lissa's rich, hot, and smart. She's the queen of the school. This school is all about whether you're hot or not, and she obviously made it to the top. Would you choose the city's loser or the most popular girl at THS?"

I frowned at the two of them. "And the girl... What happened to her?" I prompted hesitantly.

"She's nobody. She's shunned, ignored. I think Lissa's just using us to discourage her. Make her feel like absolutely nothing," Tessa said with a casual shrug.

I bit my lip. That's horrible. "What's her name?"

"Kate."

* * *

"This history teacher is scaring me," an African-American girl declared from the only seat next to me.

I glanced at her while laughing. She had jet black hair tied up in a messy, albeit stylish bun, and she wouldn't stop smiling as her bright chocolate-colored eyes flashed in her hipster Ray-bands.

"I'm Monique, but people call me Nudge. And you're Maximum, right? My goodness, I haven't seen you in ages! I mean, I probably wouldn't have recognized you because the last time I saw you, I was a baby, but you're so gorgeous! I've only seen pictures of you when you were a little kid because my adoptive-mom actually hung pictures of us on the wall and it was adorable! Honestly! I never knew you'd move back here. Seriously, it's awesome to finally be coherently able to meet you!"

"Thanks?" I laughed.

"Nudge, seriously, I don't think she remembers you," a strawberry blond boy behind her said.

"Max, however, I swear to God, if you don't remember me I will personally whoop your ass back to where ever you came from."

I stared at him. His gray-blue eyes were amused. I knew this! He was like, the awesomest kid ever.

"Yeah, I remember you! You're Peggy!" I said with a confident smile.

He stared at me as if contemplating whether I was joking or not. "...it's Iggy."

We awkwardly looked at each other before I muttered, "Right. I was just testing you."

Nudge's laughter had not gone unnoticed by the two of us. If she could be rolling on the floor right now, she would.

"You got a lot bigger, Iggy," I cooed, reaching over Nudge to pinch his cheeks.

"Did you just call me fat?"

"You tell that corrupt, obese minor, sista! I like you already." Nudge nodded in approval, jabbing a finger at Iggy. He gave us a constipated look and huffed.

We cackled like evil sadists (then again, are there good sadists?) on crystal methamphetamine. We were that far gone.

"Whatever, biyatches; some people admire my rumples. I'm like jiggle-sex on legs."

"Umm, I'm totally going to pretend I didn't hear that. Lissa is suggesting that you sit over there with us," Maya said, jerking her thumb to the seats in the second row.

"That's okay," I answered.

After Lissa realized Fang and I were childhood friends, her obsessive-creepiness and female-doginess (if you catch my drift) increased tenfold.

"Suck it!" Iggy coughed, grinning at her.

Maya raised a threaded eyebrow at him. "You _so _wish, loser."

She gave me a happy, airhead-sort-of-smile before she abruptly turned around and sashayed seven tables away from us.

"How does she make walking across a shit-smelling classroom look hot?" Iggy whined, looking at Maya like a kicked puppy.

Nudge rolled her eyes, heaving a sigh. "Shut up, Iggy."

* * *

"How was your first ever history class in this high school?" Nudge asked as we walked together in sync. The halls were pretty empty. We might have accidentally over talked (even though Nudge did about 9/10 of the talking).

I paused for a moment. "I learned absolutely nothing."

She giggled. "I know right! She just kept talking about incarnation, oh goodness! Okay, so what's your next class? Maybe you have it with Iggy and me!"

"I have Gym, then Art," I answered, pouting.

"Aw, don't pout. You have Gym with Fang, Iggy and I! You remember Fang, right?"

"Nick?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She looked confused for a moment. "Totally forgot his real name for a second. You met him?"

"Yeah, I met him this morning. I had a run-in with Lissa and I'm now her 'best friend'," I said with a groan.

Nudge patted my head, "Too bad for her that I called dibs on being your bestie."

"Aye Nudge!" a group of girls called out. Nudge looked over at her friends and smiled. "Max, I'll be right back. You'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah, go ahead Nudge."

She grinned. "Be careful, there are a lot of motherfuckers out here."

I laughed. I could totally get used to her as my friend.

I thought about seeing how Ari was doing when I accidentally slamming into someone, causing me to nearly fall on my butt and all of my stuff to go airborne.

"What the hell?" I muttered the same time a familiar voice snapped, "Watch where you're fucking g—hey! Aren't you that girl I saw this morning?"

I looked up to see Dylan flashing the brightest smile ever.

"Um," I said uncomfortable.

"You totally are! I'm Dylan."

"I know," I mumbled, kneeling down to pick up my stuff. He kneeled down too, grabbing things farther away from me.

"This school is pretty big. Do you need help getting around?" he asked, giving me another smile.

"Oh, it's okay."

"What? Why?" he pressed.

"I have old friends here," I sighed, picking up the last notebook and hastily getting up to leave.

"Wait!" Dylan cried, grabbing my elbow with a warm hand. "Why don't you like me?"

He looked at me like a lost puppy. Oh, he's yum.

"To be honest, you're kind of weird," I uttered out. Curse you verbal diarrhea.

He blushed madly. "Sorry! I'm not that bad... I just, yeah. It was morning, you were hot, and I was incoherent. I just want to be your friend."

He gave me yet another genuine smile, and I bit my lip. "Yeah, it's fine. I just—don't hit on me."

He laughed, extending a hand for me to shake.

I let my hand slip into his, totally forgetting that I was clutching my notebook in that hand.

We both immediately bent down to pick it up, bumping our heads (or ramming, which ever you prefer).

I groaned, getting up with a hand on my forehead. "That freaking hurt."

With his hand on his own forehead, he got up too with an amused expression.

"Woah, you douche! Back off!" Nudge yelled from out of nowhere. I stepped back, surprised.

She winked at me and mouthed, 'I got your back'.

"Why're you messin' with my home-girl, huh punk? Are you bothering her? Are you? Are you_ harassing_ her?" She demanded to know, shoving him up against the lockers. "'Cause boy, if you like how your face looks right now, you better 'fess up! I'm gonna find you later, and ninja cut you in your mushrooms you crazy-ass mofo!" she threatened.

Dylan and I were both surprised. Dylan shot me a terrified look, but I shook my head, regaining my composure just to laugh at him.

"I-I didn't do anything..."

"Oh yeah; you wanna go? 'Cause bro, we _will_! Dude, you wanna take this on the floor? Motherfuc—"

"Nudge, I'm fine. He wasn't even doing anything."

Nudge gaped, quickly recovering to wipe imaginary lint off both of his his shoulders.

"Dude, I totally knew that. I was just—oh my God, a squirrel!" Nudge blurted, pointing frantically to a fire hydrant in the opposite direction before clumsily dashing away.

Dylan blinked, confused, as the two of us stared after her.

"Dylan, you just got owned," I laughed at his shocked expression.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, readjusting his white V-neck. "The gym is this way."

**Author's Note:**

**_Oh my goodness! Honestly, I wasn't thinking of updating until I realized that I was wide awake and planned on staying that way (even though it was 1 A.M. when I started this). This just reached 6 pages on Microsoft Word. Thank you guys for following this, reviewing this, and adding it to your favorites! _**

**_If anyone is wondering, FANG WILL BE MOST DEFINITELY IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, alone with another bitch-character. Just had to let it out._**

**_Apologies for the latest update ever; I am the procrastination god, I swear. Thanks for keeping up with this! I got a PM just a week ago, begging me to update, and I realized how long it really has been. UPDATES will most definitely be more frequent, since I had (and honestly still have) huge, gigantic plans for this story! _**

**_So ladies and gents, follow/review/favorite! Love you all!_**

**_Keep dreaming beyond, lovelies. _:D**

**-Veronica Marie**


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